


Orange Pudding.

by BrightestOfCrayons



Category: Watch Dogs (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bad Parenting, Blood and Gore, Crimes & Criminals, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-27 07:43:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21388567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightestOfCrayons/pseuds/BrightestOfCrayons
Summary: A dying cancer patient with really bad ODC gets a shot at finishing a game by living it in another life and from the very beginning but as the daughter of a psychopath.((So many requests, so little time. I have a problem saying no to people I like, ok?! Updates at random/I'll often come back and make corrections or add detail for better visuals.))
Relationships: Clara Lille/Aiden Pearce, Jordi Chin & Original Female Character(s), Wrench (Watch Dogs)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. C0sP1ay

**Author's Note:**

> Another story request I'm working on between college, work and catching up in the one piece series so I can properly write the other fresh story on my page. Informal writing style is how I DO!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From one to two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after re-writing the first chapter five times me and my buddy have come to an agreement on the age of this female lead and how the story can start. Finally. He gave me the go ahead to write it however I want after this chapter, so there won't be any more delays.

She managed to escape while under Blume surveillance cameras, after having gathered and stored the intel she snuck around several security guards to reach.

It was supposed to be a stealth mission, not her first one, and she was doing pretty well, or so she thought. However, she was spotted by a patrolling security guard when sneaking passed what she thought would be an empty lounge. The man was supposed to be on duty, so she didn't know why he was in there holding a coffee. It didn't help that her outfit screamed, 'I do not belong here!' which caught his attention almost immediately.

Dropping the coffee, he moved for his radio first. Which was smart, considering he was out of shape. The guy certainly knew his limits, and she could respect that. Apparently, every foe C0sp1ay went up against weren't as dumb as the NPC's in-game and far more clever or alert than she realized. Not all, but some more than others.

She could have killed him before he even touched his radio, her reflexes were moving to do just that, but she hesitated. Her mission didn't specify whether or not she could kill anyone, and even if she was allowed (And she usually was.), she never felt anything afterward, thanks to the gamer's mind she'd been given. She wanted that to bother her, and on some level, it did, but not enough to stop herself like this. Not all the time. 

These missions really annoyed her because of that. It only took one nincompoop per-mission to sound the alarm, and she hated having to force herself to question the morality she once had a lifetime ago when deciding whether or not to kill anyone. Another thing that bothered her was that She didn't have the time for an internal debate with herself on why she shouldn't, which sometimes led to accidental deaths, mostly because a lot of these NPC would all be on high alert with their guns out the moment they knew she was there, moving around the building to find her... It was over the top. They majority moved far more organized than any military unit and got harder to go up against the more she leveled up. In her own opinion, it was like they had a hive mind, which was bullshit. Then again, she'd be OP as hell and feel like she wasn't being challenged enough for each mission otherwise.

Irritated that the man called in reinforcements, she raised the barrel of her customized stun gun and shot him in the crotch. It didn't help her situation in the slightest, but it made her feel better to stick it to the man who just blew her cover and hear him scream like a little girl. She ran into the lounge, slamming and locking the door shut. She hoped she had enough time to finish uploading the back door and downloading what she came here for. By staying in this lounge, she had just enough range to do that. The control room she snuck out of being right around the corner. 

It didn't take long for the door to start rattling on its hinges as they tried to force their way in. Already on edge, she took a few steps back, crouched and readied what she thought to be a flash grenade in her hand. Only a few more seconds...

She needed to complete her latest objective and would do it by any means necessary. It was clear she did not want to kill anyone today, but that was becoming more difficult not to do by the second. Her phone alerted her that the transfers were completed, and she disconnected from their servers as quickly as she could manage. She now had access to Blume's latest weapon advancements she would later put on a little gray flash drive, and a back door left open if she needed to pay Blume another visit.

Just as she glanced away from her phone, the door splintered open from its hinges, and she pulled the pin, throwing what she thought to be an active non-lethal explosive device. She was just as surprised as they were when she noticed the color lining the canister. Green. Shit!

Thinking quick on her feet, she jumped out the closest window. Luckily it was open, and she caught herself on the fire escape railing with practiced ease. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears. She refused to look down from where she clasped and held on tight, fearing the height. She pulled herself up and crouched low to take cover from the ensuing blast just outside the window on the fire escape's metal platform. Her ears were ringing, and distressed cries were coming from inside. Looking back through the window, it was a gory mess. Her eyes glued to a half-conscious man gurgling on what was left of his esophagus, the sight should have made her stomach churn. Something she could try to force herself to feel guilty about later while being bothered by the fact all that blood didn't upset her. 

The smell of burnt flesh would have been more pungent, had she lingered, and she probably would have wound up barbeque herself had she remained in the room. She really didn't intend to blow up the lounge, honest! She could have sworn she'd pulled a flash grenade from her inventory, she had spent hours organizing it before this mission. Every item in alphabetical order, color-coordinated too! So how did she screw it up!? Oh yeah! She was on edge, and brooding over her damn lack of empathy! That's probably how!

Whatever! A horrified woman was now standing in the doorway, looking directly at her and screaming bloody murder. Yeah, she needed to get the hell out of there right now! With a friendly wave and an attempt at an apologetic smile, she jumped down five levels of the fire escape at a time, opened, and hopped through another window. Thus starting the chase, as she evaded some gunshots from what security remained and local law enforcement who joined in the fray at some point. When? She can't recall. Running down several flights of stairs, she couldn't help but think how off she was on her game today.

Making sure she threw several flash grenades this time, she dashed out of the building while her pursuers were temporarily disoriented, senses snared by sound bombs while she passed through a public park close by. The ongoing chase was long, and she was almost captured in the middle of a city block, had it not been for her favorite gamers' body ability, which she used quite often to slip into the shadows. 

All she had to do was find a secluded spot, open up her menu through any phone, and she could change character skins at a whim. Character skins she'd been rewarded along with XP and cash for completing missions. Missions, side-quests, and objectives through the mysterious source she can only assume brought her here. 

These character skins inspired her to choose the Hacker name C0sP1ay, as they were all from video games she played in her past life, some from this one. She'd always use the more attention-grabbing character skins for a heist, and the least noticeable or most convenient to blend in with the crowd and make a life for herself outside of it all. 

Every character she Cosplayed as, their voice, language, accent, height, muscle memory, and weight carried over, which made identifying her, impossible. Nobody would ever know her true identity, and if they found out, it wouldn't be hard to disappear. 

As great of an advantage it was, she had to be careful not to lose an accessory that came with the character while on a mission, or she'd be stuck in the body she was Cosplaying as until she retrieved the lost item. Fortunately for her, the item in question could never break, and it was always tagged on her map so she could go back and retrieve it. That wasn't an easy task, though.

In her time as C0sP1ay, it only happened once, and she never wanted to relive that experience again. Some petty thief thought her an easy target, snatching her locket while she was under the guize of a young Sherry Birkin. 

If she hadn't given chase while simultaneously hacking into every nearby soda machine and or device with explosive properties, the crook wouldn't have been blown against a wall or have given her enough time to shoot him in the back of the head with a silencer. This was also her first kill, and she didn't know which scared her more, losing the locket, the possibility of being stuck in a child body for the foreseeable future, or having felt nothing after killing a guy. All cases aside, it terrified her enough to start carrying around a leather thigh pack to store her loose accessories in so it wouldn't happen again. 

Due to her gamer body, she didn't need to sleep or eat unless she was injured. She had a thick white bar in her upper left peripheral she could look at to keep track of her current objectives, and down at her right, she had a small circular map that told her her location, and who were hostiles in the form of little red dots. Her world had essentially become a watchdogs playthrough, and currently, she needed to desperately cross the upcoming blue border to ditch these cops and upgrade her skill tree because, after this mission, she only needed one more upgrade before she was considered good enough to catch the eye of Dedsec. 

Front flipping over a large hedge, she lost five cops during their little game of cat and mouse. But if she didn't switch from mortal combat's Kitana, and soon, she'd be a target again!

She ran across the large park towards the closest public bathrooms. Once inside, she got on her hands and knees to check for occupants. "No feet." She breathed a sigh of relief, rolling under the stall, shutting and locking it behind her. Her chest heaved while taking out her phone. There was no visible damage to her person, but she'd been shot at least five times. Her vision was blurry, but only slightly. Her Gamer body was very durable and hardly bled, but she'd need to eat or sleep soon to heal.

Immediately, she flipped through several characters on the small screen, her thumb landing on Terry Bogard. The transformation was speedy, her body lighting up like a sailor scout. She loved this part because it made her feel like a magical girl, as childish as that sounded and is.

Tucking her hands into the newly formed pockets of Terry's classic outfit, she slipped out of the bathroom after checking herself over in the mirror, to hear the sounds of numerous helicopters overhead. She hadn't crossed the blue border on her map yet, but she wasn't being stopped by police who rounded the corner. They were looking for a scantily clad woman in blue Kitana Cosplay, not blond man in a cap. The Police radio she was tuned into told her as much.

She tried to look as shaken up as everyone around her, walking out of the bathroom in Terry's signature outfit, following what looked like a group of frightened college students to a convenient store, stopping midway when she finally passed the blue border. The moment she did, she heard an exasperated officer complain he'd lost sight of the woman.

She fell to her knees by a dumpster outside, breathing heavily, the pain from her injuries catching up with her after the adrenaline faded away. She grinned non the less, watching the last box under her objectives being crossed off. She was showered with XP, money, and a Character Skin that made her laugh. "Resident Evil Four Merchant?" She said aloud, really wanting to put that on, like right now!

His laugh was delightful in-game, but he looked too suspicious a character to walk around as during the day! She didn't even know how many accessories the guy had. She would need to apply the skin at some point when she got back to home-base to see. 

Home-base wasn't as luxurious as she wanted it to be, but she learned that walking around as an inconspicuous alter-ego living in poverty was better than a famous one quickly, as the latter drew attention and she felt no desire to deal with the problems she experienced as Alfred Ashford anymore than she already had to. 

Yes, she had chosen that whiny weirdo first, and not just because he was useless to her as C0sp1ay, but he'd been one of the only character skins that weren't a literal monster or a child she had to work with at the time...Terry came later.

As Alfred, she didn't live in some grandiose evil layer conducting vile experiments on people. No, the background she gave him was almost as similar to Terry's. An Orphan from some backwater village in Europe whose paperwork had to be recovered from a burnt down orphanage. It wasn't hard to build stories for either one of them if they were nobodies who came from war-torn third world countries, as sad as that sounded. Things were very corporate-based in this life, though both of her identities became awe-inspiring after she built them up from nothing. 

She made Alfred a famous English writer who moved to the states, that lived in a Van publishing excellent books this world didn't have from her own. Stories she felt the world needed, refusing to allow it to go without great tales like Harry Potter or James Bond! With a little hacking, she'd managed to get her novels approved by the best publishers out there and created a small fortune that keeps growing to this day.

That was when she settled down in a lovely flat somewhere in the suburbs of Chicago, where sneaking around as C0sp1ay was almost impossible. She was caught transforming in front of paparazzi five times, just a year into Alfred's life. Each photographer managing to capture shots of her mid-transformation. 

So after destroying evidence and killing the unfortunate souls, two by tossing them over a fence into the yard of a neighbor who bred the most ferocious pit bulls that tore each person apart, she decided to move away to avoid negative attention. She had a carbon copy of the Ashford estate rebuilt somewhere on the outskirts of town, giving him a reclusive nature and enough time to create another alter ego. 

The excuse Alfred gave the press to leave in such a hurry was that he wasn't comfortable living next to such violent beasts, which the public believed considering the number of deaths and just how alike his house looked to his neighbors at night. The fools came to their own conclusion, that crazed fans wanted to break in and see him. It wasn't so much a chore anymore to be Alfred after the big move. Sure, she'd have to live as Alfred to order groceries, hire maids to clean the house while being present sometimes, and attend fancy social gatherings every now and then, but it wasn't too hard to maintain two lives. In fact, it was probably better to have a spare just in case one was compromised. How she'd work with Alfred should the time come, maybe some lipstick and a wig would make it easier to get around unnoticed. Her impression as Alexia came naturally when she switched to Alfred, after all.

But back to her current home-base where she spent the majority of her time outside of missions! It was a shabby apartment complex in the worst side of town that she rented under the name Terry Bogard. The location was damned near perfect for a base of operations while she finished her work here in Chicago as C0sp1ay. The place was hidden well enough in the ghetto, and in a neighborhood where nobody asked questions. They'd have to be crazy to approach somebody as intimidating as Terry, too. While a few have, they regretted it as she either beat them up or drained their bank accounts dry, giving them something else to worry about, like where they'd sleep that night. Either way, it just upped her street cred. When she wasn't running around as C0sP1ay, she loved being Terry the most. 

To this world, Terry was a self-employed law-abiding citizen who moved furniture around for a living. He handpicked a few strong-armed fellows around his block to aid him whenever he found a job and paid them well. It was easier to fabricate papers for Terry, as she didn't plan to do anything extravagant in his life where people felt the need to pry too much. They both had different phones just for them. It didn't mean the spare phones wouldn't let her see white streams through just about everything, but she didn't think she'd ever try hacking into anything with their phones. They were supposed to be her spare lives, so to speak, for when she ever became compromised. 

All her missions up until this latest heist were to gather supplies Aiden Pearce would need, and scatter these items around future places Aiden would venture through in the original playthrough while avoiding her father, Jordi. That and warn Clara not to visit the grave where she would meet her famed demise.

Not too hard, right? Well, wrong! Jordi followed her around like that damned Tyrant Mr. X whenever she had to plant items! He had no idea who she was, only that she was meddling in his business, and thought her a possible threat and he wasn't wrong. She'd have to either outrun him and hide or switch character skins and walk passed him as somebody else.

The first time he chased her was after the blackout at the football stadium. She was disguised as Cindy Lennox from OutBreak, wearing a bartending uniform. After being shot twice, dodging flying chairs and fists thrown her way, she had enough. Giving him the slip wasn't too hard, looping him around a tall shelf four times in a specific pattern she wanted him to think she'd stick to, and then changing direction altogether to dash for the men's locker room. That's when she hid in a locker, switching into her Sherry Birkin Character Skin.

The change was drastic; he wouldn't pay her any mind at all. He was chasing a woman, not a child. All she had to do was act as scared as she felt being caught to sell the act if he did reencounter her. Was it luck when Aiden ended up finding her like that, beckoning her out softly with bloodied bandaged knuckles? He had asked what her name was, what she was doing in there. She didn't know how to respond other than scream, something kids were known for doing when confronted by strangers. She'd thrown the man off enough to get him stepping back, giving her just enough of a window to run past him and out of the locker room. He didn't follow her, nor did Jordi or any of the cops. One security officer stopped her, but she cried, managed to get out of his grip, pointed down the hall where Aiden was, and told the guy that a horrible woman was trying to get her.

She didn't give the officer any time to respond, running off in a panic.

It created an issue for Aiden, she knew, but he was a good escape artist, so he'd be ok. Besides, she needed to get out of there, too. It all worked out in the end, anyway, or so she found out by spying on their conversation later. Aiden concluded that the woman Jordi was chasing earlier must have been trying to kidnap the little girl he found during the blackout, adding that child abduction wasn't uncommon in crowded places like football stadiums. Jordi sounded disgusted after hearing about his encounter with the little girl, theorizing that that must have been one of the reasons he kept running into a determined-looking platinum blond in nearly every room he had broken into. They had concluded Cindy was a child predator, taking advantage of the blackout to kidnap the girl.

From then on out, Cindy Lennox from Outbreak could never be used again.

She was more careful after that, but it gave her an idea of warning Lille. The instructions on how to warn the woman weren't specific, so Abduction it was!

Clara was marked on C0sP1ay's mini-map, so she wasn't hard to find or follow. When the time came to warn Clara over the phone or something else just as stupid that wouldn't work, C0sP1ay went to Clara's marker as Albert Wesker. Using his unfair speed, strength and agility, she knocked Clara out cold from behind the moment the woman rounded the flower shop. From there C0sp1ay placed dragged the unconscious woman into the open trunk of a stolen car parked in an alley, and Immobilized her with three duct tape rolls. All that was left to do was drive to a remote location, maybe an abandoned preschool building somewhere on Chicago's outskirts or something. Cliche as outskirts are they work for a reason!

Arriving at the most desolate but stable building she could find, C0sp1ay pulled Clara out of the trunk, carried the woman to the highest floor, and strapped Lile down to an office chair using another roll of duct tape. Her OCD got the best of her, ok?! Once Clara was awake and properly muffled, she felt introductions were in order. She revealed her identity as C0sP1ay only in name, explaining what she did for Aiden, not how or why, but that those were her instructions, and they should all be grateful for them. 

She ignored Clara's questioning gaze when reaching for the woman's phone, where she gave Aiden a call, telling him to come and retrieve his Princess in the most sinister voice she could muster, adding an evil Wesker laugh that would light the fire under anyone's ass and get them to haul ass. It was super effective! Aiden practically growled at her, his words almost incoherent as he told her not to lay a finger on Clara. 

With one more Evil laugh, she told Aiden their location, hanging up the phone to look back at Clara. The immobilized hacker was torn between looking amused and angry, though C0sP1ay didn't really care all that much, tucking the phone back in Clara's jean pocket. She remembered smirking and patting Clara on the cheek, telling her she wouldn't be sticking around for obvious reasons. She could have sworn Clara was laughing at her when rushing out the door. With her mission complete, she switched in and out of skins to get home in one piece.

It was around that time when her Objective bar switched from white to orange, much like the one in WatchDogs 2. 

She had a list of new aspirations, missions, options that would undoubtedly change how the game ended to choose from. One objective stood out to her the most, though. She was to head to San Fransisco, build up a reputation as C0sP1ay, and Join Dedsec or Prime Eight. There was an option to join that Dusan fellow, but that choice was no longer available to her after stealing from Blume. But that was fine; she never intended to join them anyway.

Walking through a dank alleyway reading over the new objectives, two men she'd hired many times before greeted her. The roguish and or convict types you warn your daughter to stay well enough away from. "Hey Terry, what are you doing out this late?" Peter asked, though not at all unfriendly. He was your average looking caucasian with a normal height and build, but every inch of his body was covered in prison tattoos. A taller man of Hispanic descent with muscle definition that belonged on the ass of a warhorse and an accent that would make a lesser woman swoon just chuckled, intentionally showing off a few gold teeth, tucking his hands further into his well-worn hoody. "Somebody get lucky?" 

"I can't hide anything from you, Carlos." She said with a husky chuckle of her own, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Though, while I was close to getting some, I ended up having to run away."

"Ah, her boyfriend come home? You look winded." Peter questioned, raising his brows, though Carlos just grinned even wider. 

"Nothing like that, thank god. As fine and single as she was, the moment her little red dress hit the floor, she revealed to me a chest hairier than mine." She said, thinking back on what was left of the face of the man she left gurgling blood back in the office building, hoping her tone and expression from how bothered she was about not feeling anything after that really sold the lie. 

It worked apparently, as both men started laughing so hard they had to support themselves by wrapping one arm around each others shoulder so they wouldn't fall over. "Damn, Amigo, you can't catch a break!"

Terry hunched his shoulders, trying to bury the image of that bloodied man into the farthest corner of his mind. "I really can't, man, and while I don't want to be rude and leave you two in the cold after we just caught up after a week, I want to home and sleep off that traumatic experience."

"Haha, I would too! If not after a few drinks!"

"Yeah, you have a good night, Terry!"

"And let us know when you got another job for us!"

With a two-finger salute, she said. "Can do!" 

Tucking her hands back into her jean pockets she went on her way, eventually reaching home base marked on her map. 

Heading up the rickety old steps to room two beside one, she pulled out her key and unlocked the dirty door and stepped inside after wiping her feet on the mat, closing the door quietly behind her with the heel of her shoe. A faint light from five computer monitors set up on three worn mismatched office desks lit up the room, they were arranged side by side plugged into several outlets. Under one came the silent hum of a solar-powered generator, which kept them up and running. 

Each was hooked up to its own pc, one being Terry's for work beside his phone, another for Alfred. The others to keep in contact with the many hackers of Chicago. As C0sP1ay, she was given many side missions by these people. None of which she met any of them directly while doing, and usually dressed up as Hunk from the resident evil series for. Honestly, she didn't know why she got more resident evil Character Skins than she did with other games, but maybe it was because it was her third favorite game aside dark souls and blood born. She'd never know for sure.

None of these contacts would even matter much after she left Chicago, anyway, or so she thought, looking over her apartment for what felt would be one of the last times. She'd grown so attached to it all somehow.

To the small clean kitchenette, with a fold-out table and dining chair not far from the dinky sink, the fridge and old stove. All of which was probably manufactured in the late forties. The tiles were ugly lime green, as were the countertops. The wallpaper in there was lime green with white stripes. So she painted the chair she bought and the fold-out table the same green to match. 

She put one of those cheap, porcelain- key-lime pie cookie jars you'd find in hobby lobby on the counter to at least give the horrible kitchen color scheme a theme to go with the cute little lime and lemon magnets that held up Terry's old work schedule on the fridge.

Across from the kitchen, there was the main living room. A rough and cheap cream tuft carpet was tacked on the floor, in the center of the room was a cute lime themed rug. Pushed against the wall was a king-size Mattress wrapped in high thread count lime green sheets that matched the kitchen. The comforter was white with little lemon patterns on it, and giant lemon wedge pillows covered the bed, one sitting over a laptop she used for C0sP1ay. Beside the bed that took up almost all walking room in the apartment was a small yellow armoire she kept clothes that fit Terry in, for when she'd go out working as him. After all, It'd be odd to wear the same thing every day.

The walls in the main room were painted a cream white, matching the color of the carpet. The bathroom wasn't far from the bed, the door she left a light brown color to match the desks she dragged into the apartment at some point to put her monitors on. Gifts from those degenerates and ex-cons, the people she first gave jobs to around the neighborhood as they were already looking for work. To her displeasure, they told their friends, who told all their friends and well... Let's just say she's never been short-handed when working as Terry. In a way, she'd kind of miss the outlaws she hired.

Inside, the bathroom was about as small as you'd expect, with a shower she thought looked eerily similar to ones you'd find in a gym locker room. The walls and floor were ugly lime green tiles she suspected were left over from the kitchen, with a rusted drain on the floor positioned under the dinky showerhead. A few pictures of Carlos, Peter, and Terry goofing around in a bar somewhere were held up by lime and lemon magnets against the edges of a large cracked mirror glued above the sink. Beside the sink, she purchased a cheap plastic drawer organizer for her toiletries. It was also the perfect place she could stack her lime green towels on. Next to the organizer was a brown woven hamper for Terry's dirty work clothes, and next to that was a laundry bag. Inside the bag was detergent and a ziplock bag full of quarters she'd take to the Laundromat every weekend. 

She had to buy and position curtain rods around the showerhead so the spray of water wouldn't get all over the sink and toilet with a lime green lid, but the investment was worth it. And the little limes patterned on the plastic curtain complimented what she found to be an offensive color scheme quite well. 

Overall, the apartment matched the Salary of the safe life she'd created as Terry. Minus the computers, sheets, and blankets. But nobody knew about the extra things she'd bought with cash she'd earned as C0sP1ay. She had been damned sure to frequently check Blume's computers to make sure Terry stayed off their radar, too. Alfred was famous, so he was a little harder to keep off Blume's radar. He wasn't considered a threat to them, but a possible investor. Which was probably worse.

Every party she went to dressed as Alfred, at least one of their agents would confront him and ask if he was interested in lending money in something they were doing, slipping him a card. Always an overly attractive woman, too. Probably to get him more engaged in conversation.

She knew it'd be rude to ignore them or outright refuse, so she'd indulge in small talk, accept the card and tell them when he wasn't busy with his books, he'd think about it. He never did. It was a little annoying, but tossing those business cards into the estate's fireplace was satisfying.

Releasing a contented sigh, she fiddled around with her phone and took off her Character Skin, revealing her true identity that was Jia Chin to the walls of her apartment. Every time she did this, it felt like letting her hair down.

Under the character skins, she always wore a bulletproof vest and stolen mismatched military armor. It wasn't in any way stylish, but practical. Perhaps now, though, with all the money she's earned, she could afford something that matched whenever she decided to forgo a Character Skin. Not that it even mattered when she could hide it all behind one. 

At first, she thought people would be able to feel it through her disguise, that the skin was more of an illusion. But it looked and felt so real even to her, that it was a little scary. Whatever she might have felt about it, it was one less thing for her to worry about. Walking further in, she ran her fingers through her hair and wrinkled her nose at how matted it felt. She was all sweaty, too, and the gear was starting to feel heavy after all the running around she did today. 

Walking to the bathroom, she left a trail of armor she removed piece by piece, throwing each bit slothfully to the floor in her wake. Pushing open the door, she drew back the plastic curtains around the shower and twisted the tap. It wouldn't take long for the water to heat up, and she released the plastic curtain, letting it drop back down to avoid getting hit with an icy spray of water.

Jia faced the mirror, taking in her appearance. She did this every night after a day of switching in and out of disguises, to remember she wasn't them. She was a five foot eight, skinny and petite young woman with an alabaster complexion and mostly Asian facial features with her mother's straight german nose. What stood out overall were her light violet eyes and her short thick hair styled like her father's. She both hated and loved that man, who was probably still looking for her after she vanished five years ago.

It didn't matter if they ever met again anyway, not when it helped change Jordi's mind about Damien's offer to kill Pearce. It was so strange...Jordi actually duped Damien! He broke their contract, only to shoot him in the back at the top of that lighthouse with Aiden there to make the finishing blow. She'd been his incentive not to kill Pearce, what with having thought he lost a little girl of his own, she just knew. It was the only explanation she could think of as to why he'd break canon. Without her existence, she had no doubt in her mind that things would have gone exactly how they did in-game. This outcome she felt, though, was for the better. Steam filled the bathroom, blurring her reflection.

Stepping under the running water, she bent slightly to adjust the heat to a more comfortable temperature and began scrubbing the day's troubles away with lavender-scented soaps. Jordi Always had a chance to be a father, but he never took it. He thought Jia was safe where she was, with the pretty little Escort he'd accidentally knocked up. There was never any doubt she wasn't his, and she really was safe for a time. Loved even by a beautiful immigrant with no last name, a kind woman who would have given her the world. Everything changed, though, when her mother was shot in the head by a dangerous drunk client showing off his gun collection. That's what it said in the papers, but whatever happened that night, it gave Jia her chance to slip away and never look back. 

They were practically strangers anyway, and she was and still is wary of Jordi. Now if he'd had integrated himself into her life and visited every now and then, maybe she would have stayed put that night. Hid under the bed, and waited for him to step up and take on the role of her guardian, but because of his absence, she would never grant him that opportunity. Not when he'd had several chances before. He was too much of an unknown now, even with how much her existence changed him from canon. He was still a dangerous psychopath, and no matter how much she wanted a chance at having a family for once in her life, it couldn't be with somebody like that. She'd probably die again. 

She's seen him several times watching her before her new mother's death, always too hesitant to approach. Sometimes she would catch him talking with her mother, the two of them sitting on a park bench under a tree. It was a special place her mother took her some sunny afternoons after school. Jia never heard what they spoke about, but he'd always try to pass her mother an envelope she assumed by the size and weight was filled with money, one her mother always pushed back into his hands with a soft smile, shaking her head. 

Jia might have had several questions about that, had she not heard the woman tell him once, that she can provide for Jia all on her own. It was the day little Jia gave him a chance to be a parent, walking up to them with the barbie she'd been gifted a week prior, pointing at him with it and asking her mother who the pretty man was. "An old associate," Her mother had said after he struggled to say much of anything. It was unnerving for someone so charismatic as Jordi to come up speechless for once, and after she called him pretty, too. 

Her mother stood up quickly after that, taking her by the hand and leading her briskly out of the park, the woman's eyes were pained. Jordi had never looked so defeated when Jia glanced back from over her shoulder, seeing his downcast gaze. From then on, she lost the drive to pursue whatever could have been between them. In his line of work, she doubted it even possible, but it was worth a shot at the time, or so she foolishly believed. 

There was no reason to approach him again. There was no need to now, and it was better she didn't. Jordi could relate to Pearce more if things stayed this way, or so she learned, later on, listening in on a few of their calls. The warmth in his voice when he spoke of his missing daughter moved her emotionally, enough to style her hair like his. It was the only connection she would allow them to have. One that he'd never know about but probably be flattered if he knew she had it. 

She crossed her arms over her breasts, holding her shoulders and shuts her eyes, tilting her chin upward and to the side to take pleasure in the warm spray of water against her face. She smiled, thinking about the two men and all they've been through one last time, then about Clara. She wondered if the woman would finally get to be with Aiden this time. She hoped so because, after everything those two have gone through, they needed each other. 

"Whatever! Tomorrow the world will know what Blume is up to, my reputation as a hacker will rise, and I'll leave for San Francisco! My work is done here." She spoke quietly, turning off the tap once she'd rinsed off. Reaching for a towel, she pulled it in from around the curtain and began drying off. 

Pushing back the curtain, she stepped in front of the mirror again, wiping her hand over the fogged mirror with the towel before she wrapped it around her head. "Having wrapped it all up at seventeen, too. Not bad." She grinned, walking out of the bathroom, then around her bed to the kitchen. 


	2. Who could it be now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small update, but with everything being destroyed or on fire lately in MY AREA OF LIVING, that's to be expected. I'm moving soon, and don't worry I'm safe, but with all the chaos happening around me in the big apple I've been kinda busy not stepping on any toes. So yeah... Updates on major stories won't come out as fast as I've planned but I can work with this one.

Dust particles danced under small rays of sun shining through the blinds, painting specks of gold on the mattress closest to the wall. PCs and dimly lit monitors connected to Alfred's Estate surveillance hummed quietly, lulling Jia in and out of sleep. She groaned, burrowing further into the lemon wedge pillows piled on her bed to better evade the light climbing up her shoulders, shining into her eyes. "I need to buy curtains," She croaked, gradually rising to sit up, nuzzling the fruity cushion in her arms as the blankets slid off her naked body. 

Setting the pillow aside, she stares off into the distance, taking a moment to wake up a little before lazily rolling off the mattress and landing on her knees in front of a small yellow dresser with a soft thud. She hummed, rummaging around for one of Terry's white work shirts, slipping it over her head, raising the center of the oversized garment to her nose for a deep sniff. "Lavander," She whispered with an exasperated smile, enjoying the smell of the expensive detergent she'd nabbed from the Ashford estate. Equipping a pair of innocent white panties that she'd been awarded at some point from her inventory using Terry's phone she plucked from the edge of her mattress, she crawled towards the desks. 

Wrinkling her nose at the feel of rough tuft carpet under her hands and knees, she reached the office chair and used it as a crutch, pulling herself up to better squint at the bright monitors. "So much to do..." She mumbled tiredly, taking a seat. Yawning loudly, Jia set aside Terry's phone for C0sp1ay's, where she began scrolling through her contacts. 

Kenny's Bad Blood DLC was coming up soon, so she didn't really need Default anymore, did she? He'd be dead soon enough. Her thumb hovered over 'delete contact,' thinking about whether or not to kick him out of her list yet. 

Throughout her entire time as C0sp1ay, she'd never once met the famous T-Bone, so maybe this was her chance... Shaking her head, she decided not to rush it. She'd have plenty of time with the man when joining up with Dedsec. Besides, if she interfered now, there's no telling how much more of the plot will go to hell. Aiden and Jordi were practically best friends now, and wasn't that a scary thought?

Setting down the phone with the others on the table, she decided to wait it out and delete Default when news of his corpse popped up in a report. The dead couldn't complain as far as she knew, and boy could the rat whinge! Jia leaned back, and with one long stretch, she hunched forward and started finishing up the latest chapter of 'The Spy Who Loved Me' for what she hoped would be for the next several hours. Pulling up the latest documents she pondered over what to do after, perhaps she'd go out and wash Terry's Laundry later, maybe get in contact with Carlos. Somebody needed to take the reins in Chicago while she expanded Terry's moving company to San Francisco. "Hmm, maybe I can fib and tell them all I'm trying to give more opportunities to our fellow underdogs who don't want to be goons for the rest of their lives." Jia thought aloud, tapping the edge of the desk with her index finger. 

It was the best idea she could think of when it came time to disappear and a lifestyle she was more accustomed to easing into. But what of Alfred? It wouldn't be too tricky to relocate the ponce to a warmer climate by purchasing a second home in San Francisco, would it? From what she learned attending those big-wig parties, wealthy people did that sort of thing all the time when deciding to go on Holiday, right? 

C0sp1ay's phone buzzed on the table, jostling her out of thoughts. She scowled at it, letting out an exasperated sigh when she noticed no familiar caller ID. Nobody should have this number. It was impossible to obtain, as whatever brought her here made sure of that. Now giving it out willingly was another story, as a contact could easily share. 

She had very little in the way of contacts that weren't trustworthy when it came to passing around her name, so the question was, who did it? "Hmm, must be a new contact for C0sp1ay." Which meant more work in Chigaco."...Hooray..."

Jia stared at the device a moment longer, hoping it would stop vibrating. It didn't. "So much for getting things done today..."She mumbled, answering the phone and raising it to her ear. She did not say a word, waiting for whoever was on the other line to reveal themselves first so she'd have the upper hand.

Depending on each person's attitude when speaking with her, she'd switch to an identity with a voice best suited to have the upper hand. It was usually best to use a character who's voice was no-nonsense or smooth on the ears, or so she learned through experience. Smooth kept attention, as stern kept conversation clipped and or to the point. 

"You aren't an easy person to track, C0sp1ay" Oh, sweet lord, was that...."I have some questions, and I expect answers." A rough voice continued to say, sounding every bit as uptight and intimidating as they did in the game.


	3. I WANT TO BE A MACHO MAN!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is the most un-confrontational thing a person can do when somebody holding a grudge wants to act like an intimidating Macho man against you? Well, invite them to a cat cafe, of course! They can't threaten you with bodily harm there! Might risk scaring the kittens and invoking the wrath a thousand mentally ill cat enthusiasts that will undoubtedly tare you a new asshole on social media, ruining you, should you do anything violent at a cat sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing Aiden Pov, T-Bone, and Clara Pov next chapter during the official meeting. xD

Well, so much for using a smooth voice. Stern was out too; she didn't feel like having a 'Who can sound the most threatening and or hold the 'who has the bigger peepee' contest, no. So what voice to use? Jia wanted to prolong the silence to think it over, but she didn't have that kind of time. Keeping quiet would only make this man assume he's intimidating her, too. 

And he was, just a little, but Peirce didn't need to know that...Or did he? Blinking several times, Jia got an idea. Quietly, she reached for Alfred's phone and ran her thumb over the screen, looking over a wide assortment of character skins, where she switched to Sherry Birkin. After transformation, she grinning maliciously, cleared her throat, and in the most vulnerable voice she could muster asked. "W-who is this? W-w-what do you want with my uncle?" Her voice trembled, sounding as if she were on the brink of tears. Aiden was silent this time, and she could just hear the gears twisting and turning in his head as if trying to uncover yet another big mystery that surrounded C0sp1ay. She would have felt sorry for him had he not wanted to intimidate her the way he had Clara when THEY first met. "Y-Y-You better n-not have something nefarious planned! Because...Because, I-I-I'll kick your butt, Sir!" Was her empty threat.

Biting her lower lip, she covered the lower half of the phone, holding it farthest from her. Her shoulders were shaking, body tilting to the left, nearly falling out of her seat as she tried really hard to control her laughter. Her plan to sound fragile, scared, and oblivious to what was going on, she found, was working well enough because there was somebody else there, laughing at Aiden's expense. "You heard her, Peirce, she'll rough you up real good," Taunted a familiar and very southern voice she could only assume was the legendary T-Bone himself. There was a small scuffle on the other end, which had Jia getting up to flop on the bed, shoving her face against a pillow to let out a loud guffaw. 

"Hey, hey. Don't cry, um. I-Um." Oh no, he thought she was crying! He sounded so uncomfortable! This was too good! Must. Not. Snort.

"I'm not afraid of you!" She shrieked childishly, stifling the urge to giggle by sniffling loudly. Hanging up the phone, she finally broke down, clutching her side, laughing into her mattress. The great vigilante went from intimidating to intimidated in seconds! She really hit him where it hurt and felt just a little guilty using the vulnerable little girl tactic. Ok, maybe not, but to be fair, he chose to try and scare her when deciding to call! He was asking for it, or so she thought.

All dicking around aside, though, the man had to be close by. There was no way he'd have known her location unless she pulled a Kenny, frequenting one place far too often with C0sp1ay's device. Which she could admit to herself doing with this specific base.

It created problems for her, problems she could possibly solve as Sherry the more she thought about it. Given Aiden's painful history with a certain little girl, or how he treated children in general. It was hard to imagine the guy attacking her if she were to confront him as the youngest Birkin. The girl looked harmless, and surprisingly not the least bit mousy as she did in the remake of Re:2. Every character looked about as close to their best concept-art piece as possible. 

Jia had several outfits to switch in and out of as Sherry from in her inventory already, having been rewarded various costumes for each character after completing side quests that entailed preventing potential crimes around the city through eavesdropping. All that was left was to equip something super frilly, innocent, and keep her accessories close when approaching Aiden to better sell the act she had already portrayed. If she even ended up going.

It didn't take long for the phone to start vibrating again, but T-Bone was on the other end this time when she answered. His tone was friendlier than Aiden's, and she could hear him trying really hard not to laugh. "Listen, little lady, all we-"

"Not so fast, Sir!" She shouted angrily, cutting him off, stomping her foot, and making sure the sound was audible enough for whoever was there to hear. "I don't know what it is you wanna know, but I'll answer you the best I can if you meet me at Pookie Cutie's Kitten Cafe in two hours! Oh, and you must buy me a cake or I won't talk!" The southerner laughed good-naturedly at her demands, deciding to humor her, judging on the tone of his voice as he said. "You sure drive a hard bargain, Darlin, but you got yourself a deal."

"G-good, and don't be late or try anything funny!" Was her childish reply, hanging up the phone again, hopefully for the last time today. Flopping on her side, she started skimming through Sherry's wardrobe for the perfect outfit, imagining the look on Aiden's face during what must have been a super uncomfortable phone call for him. 

She couldn't wait to make him squirm at the cafe or see what face he made when she put a cat on his lap. 

"Oh man, Skipping town as Alfred or Terry can totally wait! I'm going to troll Pierce so hard!"


End file.
